Stellae Nativitatis
by AetherOblivion
Summary: For centuries, creatures of earth have looked to the stars. Wishing upon them and looking to them for guidance. On the night of October 31st, 1981 they shone brighter than they have in recorded history. As if they were smiling down on the earth, celebrating with the people below. The end of a decade of darkness had come, and they were the heralds of the new age of light.


For centuries, creatures of earth have looked to the stars. Charting them, wishing upon them and looking to them for guidance. Some claim that the stars are simply gigantic balls of gasses, floating aimlessly in space. Others believe them to be the souls of their ancestors looking down on them from the heavens, giving them guidance and protection. Regardless of their opinions on the matter, all those who gazed upon the stars on the night of October 31st, 1981 are in agreement on one fact about them. Never before have they shone so bright, as if they were smiling down on the earth, celebrating with the people below. The end of a decade of darkness had come, and they were the heralds of the new age of Light.

Albus Dumbledore was attending another emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Things had been getting worse. Since hearing the prophecy, Voldemort had grown bolder. The attacks were more frequent, and deadly. About halfway through the meeting, he received a patronus from one of his spies, informing him of the attack on the Potters. He bowed his head in a brief moment of silence, James and Lily had been two of his best and replacing them would not be easy. Slowly he raised his eyes to meet the concerned gaze of his people. Quietly, he told them the news. The Dark Lord was dead, and the war had been won. The prophecy had been fulfilled. Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Lord. The wizarding world was safe again. He did not join in their cheers and celebrations. He had no desire to. There was still much to be done. The Dark Lord's defeat and the deaths of the Potters had only accelerated his plans. With a subtle sigh, he sent his Patronus off to Hogwarts. He could not delay setting things in motion, or someone else would lay claim to the boy.

Rubeus Hagrid was tending to the pumpkin patch, selecting those the house elves could make into pies for the students the next day when the silvery phoenix reached him. He wrung his hands together anxiously as it approached. Hagrid used to find Patronus to be fascinating and beautiful, until they began delivering reports of attacks and the dead. Had it not been Dumbledore's patronus he would have refused to believe what it told war was won. Hagrid felt himself let out a breath he had no Idea he was holding. War was a terrible thing, he had seen too many good people and animals killed. He hoped with every fiber of his being that he would never have to live through another. He was about to continue with his pumpkins when the Patronus spoke again. At first he thought his ears were playing tricks on him. James and Lily dead? It was impossible. And he told the bird so. He explained that Lily was the brightest witch of her age! And besides they were behind wards that Headmaster Dumbledore himself had put up! It was impossible. They couldn't be dead. When the patronus repeated its message, in Dumbledore's own voice, it finally sunk in. Hagrid sat heavily on a nearby stump. The joy he had just felt about the end of the war was gone. James and Lily... Kind Lily who always spoke to him and helped with his animals and never made him feel dumb or stupid. She treated him like a friend, she was his friend. His first friend. She had brought James over before their first date.. She had invited him to their wedding, and asked him to help her choose flowers. He wiped away the tears that were pooling in his eyes. Over the last couple years the Potters had really made him feel like family. He hadn't felt like he belonged somewhere since his pa died. And now.. Both of them were gone. He wept. He wept for Lily, he wept for James, and he wept for poor little Harry. He wept as he made his way to the castle and told the teachers the news. Professor Flitwick had tried to give him a hug, but it just sent Hagrid into more watery hysterics. He wept as he portkeyed to Godric's Hollow, and he wept as he laid eyes on the ruins that had once been the Potter family home. The house was still ablaze, young Sirius Black told him he managed to get Lily and James out. Not Lily and James. Their bodies. Hagrid tried not to look at the sheet covering his friends under the willow tree. When Black handed Harry to him, he burst into tears again. It was just so unfair. Harry would never get to know his mother's laugh, or her cooking. He would go his entire life without knowing his father. He wept for Harry and the life he would never have. Hours later, as he Gently handed the last of the Potters to the headmaster, he felt his heart break once again. He thought about the young boy who would cry for his mother, a mother who would never comfort him again. He wept.

Severus Snape was grading essays. They were supposed to be the essays written by a class of fourth year Gryffindors, however it felt much more like he was grading essays written by three year old muggles. The brats did not even know the uses of Unicorn hair in potions, which was a key part of the third year curriculum. It was a month into the semester and he very much regretted taking this job. He had not become the youngest Potions master in history to teach a bunch of imbeciles. Deciding he had had enough for tonight, he stood to fetch himself a pain reliever potion for this agonizing headache he had developed. He had a theory that the Gryffindors were trying to kill him with stress induced headaches brought on by their sheer stupidity. He had just grabbed the vial when his mark erupted in pain. This was a normal occurrence when one bore the Dark Lords mark, however this pain was unlike anything he had felt before. It was worse than even the cruciatus. He clenched his teeth, but eventually gave in and screamed in agony. It felt as though he was being ripped apart from the inside. He fell to the floor writhing in pain, cutting himself on the shattered glass from the vial he had dropped. He lost track of the time as pain shot down every nerve in his body. As blackness was making itself known in the corners of his vision, the pain lifted. It was so rapid it left Severus very disoriented. He lay there for a few minutes, his mind racing towards the inevitable conclusion. The feeling of being watched, of being.. Tethered to something dark and vile was gone. Combining that with the pain, he realized that the Dark Lord was dead, and according to a prophecy he himself had delivered, Lily's son was the one to kill him. But that meant his Lord had sought out the boy.. That meant.. Lily.

He took off at a run, sprinting towards the forest, he had to get to her. He had to make sure she was alive. Students and Teachers alike stared as he ran through the castle. He did not care. Let them think what they would, Lily could be in danger. His Lord has promised him, but he had to be sure, he had to see her for himself. When he reached the edge of the anti-apparition wards, he hesitated. Lily had made it clear years ago, that she did not wish to see him again. He.. he had lost the right to call her his friend. How would she react to seeing him now. Would she.. Send him away? Attack him maybe? He would deserve it. But he had to go, Lily was in danger and it was his own fault. If she kicked him out at least he would know she was alive. Mind made up, He apparated to the location the rat had supplied. He turned his eyes desperately on the house as he ran up to it, calling her name. The front door had been thrown open by a powerful spell, despite the urgency, he found himself slowing to a fearful walk as he entered the building. He could feel the remnants of the magic the Dark Lord had fear grew, as did his caution. As much as he feared for Lily's life, he was not so foolish of a man to go charging into a house filled with this much dark energy. He would not put it past the Dark Lord to leave behind some very nasty traps for when the order arrived. Holding his wand securely, he made his way through the home as quickly as he dared. He found James Potter's body at the foot of the unseeing eyes stared blankly out of broken glasses, A child's toy tangled around his feet, he seemed to have tripped on it. He noticed the man's wand lying several feet away. Severus stared at the body of his former enemy. The man he had dedicated most of his life thus far to hating. To be honest, he could hardly remember why anymore. It had not been James who forced him to call Lily that... Foul name. No he had done that himself. And in reality, what had James Potter been other than a schoolyard bully? No.. Severus would waste no more time hating this man. In the back of his mind he noted how easy it was to forgive a dead man. He stared down at the body, knowing full well that the Dark Lord had killed him before he even had a chance to draw his wand. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned down and closed Potter's eyes for the final time, And placed his wand into his hand. James would have gone down fighting to save those that he loved. It would hurt no one to have him be remembered that way. A heavy dead weight settled in his chest, He knew. How could he not? Lily was.. dead. But he had to see her.. Just one last time. He stepped carefully over the body, and made his way up the stairs. He froze at the top, eyes locked on the doorway at the end of the hall. The door had obviously been shattered by a blasting curse. There were splinters of it all over the interior and- Lily. His feet seemed to move of their own accord, and the next thing he knew, he was kneeling on the floor next to the blurry unmoving form of Lily. Blurry.. Why was she…? He reached a shaky hand up to touch his face, and it came away wet with the unshed tears he thought he had learned to control. Lily. He gently brushed away the strands of hair that were obscuring her face. Her Eyes. Lily's eyes. The memory, this memory would stay with him in the darkest parts of his mind. Always. There was no life, in Lily's eyes. Already a milky film was creeping its way across the green depths. He found himself pulling her into his arms, holding her gently, as if she would wake at any moment. For the first time in many years, Severus wept. Lily was gone. He mourned, at last, the loss of her friendship, for the Girl he had loved and cast away. He wept for her kindness, for being the only light in his dark life. And he wept for her. For Lily. She had found everything she had ever wanted. A husband who she loved, and who loved her, a child, her son. Lily's son. Slowly he raised his head and scanned the room for the boy, surely, he had survived. After a brief search he turned back to Lily. Swallowing the painful lump caught in his throat, he somehow summoned the will to reach a hand out and close her eyes, Lily's eyes, forever. He laid her down gently, an unfamiliar pain in his chest, it felt as if his heart were trying to simultaneously fall down to his intestines, and worm its way out his back.

He stood and took a moment to wipe his eyes dry. He turned away from Lily and scanned the room once more. For the first time, he registered the sound of a child's cry. Following the sound, he pushed aside some rubble, and found the child, wrapped in a blanket beneath it. Severus quickly examined him, he seemed unharmed, save for an ugly looking scar on his forehead. The boy's eyes were shut tight as he cried and screamed. Uncertainly, he quietly told the child to stop crying. He found himself offering the boy his finger to hold, and gently reassuring him that the danger had passed, and he was going to be alright. To his great surprise, the boy, Lily's son, took his finger, slowly stopped crying, and opened his eyes.

Lily's eyes.

Sirius Black was on his way to Godric's Hollow with a very large supply of muggle halloween sweets for his godson. Or, that was the excuse he and James had agreed on, Lily wouldn't ever let the candy in the house otherwise. He landed his bike in the farmed area just outside of the hollow and rode it in the muggle way. He knew something was wrong as soon as he drove up, the front door was wide open. It wasn't like James or Lily to do that, even if they were just fetching the mail. He drove the bike up onto the grass, knowing fully that Lily would give him hell for it later, but it was so much more convenient to park it there then all the way down on the street! He grabbed the plastic bags full of candy and pulled out his wand, just in case. He seriously doubted anything was actually wrong, Peter was their secret keeper and only the marauders and Dumbledore knew the location of the house, but there was a war going on and everyone's lectures about safety and responsibility were finally sinking in.

He walked in without bothering to knock, after all the door was open! He kicked off his shoes in the entryway and called for James. He waited a few moments, but after receiving no answer from James, Lily or his adorable godson waddling over for a hug, he moved into the house, calling out to James again. When he saw his friend lying at the foot of the stairs he froze for a moment, fear gripping his heart, before letting out a very forced laugh.

"Very funny Prongs, I have to admit the broken glasses were a nice touch" he drawled, walking over slowly. "Okay jokes up, you nearly gave me a heart attack, I hope you're happy." When James did not stir, the smile slipped away from Sirius' face. He spoke his friends name again, and abruptly fell to his knees, grabbing James by the shoulders and shaking him. Before he knew it he was shouting, screaming at James to wake up, to open his eyes but, they remained closed. Sirius would never see the eyes of his best friend again. He could not have told anyone how long he sat at James' side. By the time he was done screaming his voice was raw and his throat was on fire. When he couldn't scream any longer he sat in silence. He made out the sound of a baby crying. Harry. Feeling like a zombie, he walked slowly up the stairs towards his godsons cries. When he saw Lily's body, he felt something in his chest wither and die. To lose James and Lily it.. It was so wrong. How had he known. How had the bastard known where the Potters were. The only ones who knew were- Peter. That.. that RAT was secret keeper. He must have told them. Sirius laughed. He laughed and laughed. Peter. Their friend, the coward. They had trusted him with their lives and he had immediately sold them out to the very maniac who wanted them dead. Another cry snapped him out of his rage. Harry. Harry needed him. He turned and picked up his godson, exclaiming softly over the scar on his forehead before cooing at him, reassuring him that he was safe now, Uncle Siri is here, and taking him to the bathroom to clean him up. He wrapped the boy snugly in his blankets and placed him in his basket outside next to his bike. Harry wouldn't be coming back inside this wretched place. Sirius stared at the house for a moment and, after taking a deep breath, went inside to James, and Levitated him out of the house. He laid him on the grass under the big tree in the yard, it was Lily and his Favourite spot. They had often had picnics there. Little Harry would zoom around on his toy broom. Never again. He knelt at James's side. His friend. His brother. He had died trying to protect Lily and Harry, that much was obvious. He gripped his wand tightly and cursed himself silently. If he hadn't stopped for those stupid sweets, maybe he would have been on time. Maybe he could have saved them.. He found himself crying as he crossed James's arms over his chest and placed his wand in his grip. James deserved better than this. James deserved to see his son's first quidditch game. To help Harry with his summer homework. To be there for Harry's wedding one day. But he couldn't. He wouldn't and it was all because of that bastard Voldemort! .. No. No it was Peter. Peter the traitor who told the Death Eaters where the Potters were hiding. It was Peter who had James and Lily's blood on his hands. Little Peter Pettigrew who was too scared to ask questions in class. They should have seen this coming. His Animagus form was a rat after all. Shaking with anger and grief, he brought Lily outside, laying her beside James with their shoulders pressed together. He covered the couple with the white sheet from their bed and he was struck with the finality of death. He took one last walk through the Potter home, his best friends home. He found himself taking the photographs from the shelves. They were really all he had left of them now. He went outside to stand by Harry then, Sirius set the house ablaze. He wanted to remove this place from existence. This place, where his friends had died was not worthy of standing there, unmarred. He wanted to destroy it. He needed to. He needed this place scarred and destroyed to match the horrid event that had taken place here. He held his godson and he watched the wretched place burn to the ground. By the time Hagrid arrived he had made up his mind. He gave Harry one last hug and whispered words of love before handing him to the man. He had a score to settle, and he doubted he would be coming back.

Albus Dumbledore was not surprised to find Minerva sitting on Privet Drive, observing the street. She had been one of the few aware of Dumbledore's plans for Harry, should the worst happen to his parents. He listened impatiently while she gave her report on the muggles. The worst sort of muggles indeed. He was fully aware of the Dursleys hatred for magic. In fact it was one of the main reasons he had decided Harry would live here. He believed that having Harry raised without any knowledge of the wizarding world would make things quite a lot easier. If the Dursley's treated the boy how he expected them to, Harry would practically worship anyone who removed him from the situation. And Dumbledore was setting up all the pieces to ensure that person would be himself. Voldemort would be back, he would make sure of that. And when he returns, he will need Harry to be fully under his control. That boy was the greatest weapon Dumbledore had at his disposal, and he had no plans of letting the boy go.


End file.
